I know we all say every year that we can’t believe how fast the year has gone, but it really doesn’t feel that long ago since I wrote my last end-of-year blog post! This time last year, I had just moved back to Sheffield to start my new job and everything felt a bit overwhelming, yet exciting. Now, one year on and feeling much more settled, I thought I would reflect on ten things I’ve learnt this year.

1. You are of value at work

I think many twenty-somethings like myself worry about their place at work, and often don’t realise how much value they can bring to a company. As I went through a lot of job rejections last year and then was temporarily made redundant at my current company earlier this year, it can make you feel pretty worthless. However, since getting kept on at my current role, taking on more responsibility and receiving good feedback, I am finally starting to believe that I can be an asset to a company and that I have a lot more useful skills than I realise.

2. You need to let yourself be happy too

All my life I’ve been a serious people-pleaser, and I’ve always worried about people not liking me or not being happy. This falls into my relationships too, where I let myself feel unhappy because I’m so worried about hurting the other person. However, as tough as upsetting someone is, I’ve learnt that you need to be honest with yourself and other people so that you can all move on and be happy.

3. You never stop making new friends

One thing I’ve loved most about this year is how many new people I’ve met and become close with. The great thing about starting a new job and moving into a house with new people is making new friendships, and I’ve been so lucky to become close friends already with my housemates and colleagues. It’s mad to thing that the people I spend the most time with these days are people I’ve only known for one year!

4. Veganism is amazing for your mind and body (and the environment!)

One of my New Year’s resolutions last year was to complete Veganuary. Not only did I go vegan for January, but I’ve actually carried on for the entire year. Now, I can’t imagine ever going back, as I’ve enjoyed it so much and I truly feel better knowing that I’m helping the environment and the welfare of animals through just the one simple change. Another huge factor that made me carry on the vegan lifestyle is the fantastic health benefits: my skin is clearer, I’ve got tons more energy, and it’s helped me lose a lot of fat!

5. My goals (however small) are achievable

As well as completing Veganuary, I set myself a few other New Year’s resolutions last year. I’m pleased to say that I’ve achieved them all, which is a great feeling! They included learning to do 1-5 pull-ups (I can now do a couple of sets of 3 at a time), being on my phone less (I’ve certainly been trying to stick to this) and visiting two countries (I ended up visiting 3!) I know a lot of people joke about people never sticking to New Year’s resolutions, but I think the key is to set small, achievable goals which you can measure easily. So for this year, I’ve chosen another health related month-long resolution of taking part in Dry January and another fitness-related resolution of learning to do pistol squats.

6. It’s okay to hang out with yourself

This is quite an important one for me as growing up, I was always terrified of going to things by myself, even to the point that I would be nervous to pick a certain subject at school because I didn’t want to be in a class without a friend. Of course this has gotten better throughout the years since going away to university by myself, and flying to and from Thailand by myself last year, however I still think it’s something I’m working on. I’m certainly starting to get comfortable being by myself, and I am learning that it’s okay to go to the cinema or to a gig alone, or to even enjoy a meal on your own in public.

7. Everyone else goes through shit too

With everyone’s lives looking so perfect on social media, we forget that everyone else is going through stuff too. I’m guilty of comparing my life to others and sometimes feeling a bit sorry for myself when me and my family are struggling, but we need to remember that we never know what’s going on behind closed doors. I’ve comforted many friends this year through relationship and job problems, to dealing with the death of loved ones, and it makes you realise that sadly we all go through problems. However, it’s important to turn that around and focus on the friends and family you are still to have around.

8. Exercise and hard work really does pay off

I’ve been documenting my physical journey throughout the year and it’s awesome seeing the progress I’ve made along the way. I’ve had down days where I’ve felt like I’m not seeing much difference in my physique, and then bam, another day you’ll be looking in the mirror and noticing all sorts of changes. It’s pleasing to see that hard work and dedication really does pay off, and I’m excited to continue getting stronger in the new year.

9. There’s no such thing as too many holidays

Of course, money dependent, there probably can be such a thing as too many holidays, but what I mean is that time spent travelling is invaluable experience. I ended up taking three holidays this year to Amsterdam, Malta and Germany, and although it’s stopped me saving as much money as I would have liked to this year, it was money and time well spent. With the cold weather continuing to creep in, I’m already starting to think where I could head to in 2019…

10. 2019 will be a good year

Okay, this isn’t something I’ve learnt, but it’s something I’m positive about. After quite a tough start last year losing my grandad, I’m confident that 2019 will hold good things. I’m finally in a more stable position in life, and I’m excited to see what will happen next. Happy New Year!

Having already visited Germany a couple of times, I was really excited to head back to visit Munich and Nuremberg; two cities I hadn’t explored yet. Our main reason for visiting at the end of September was of course, Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival (known as Volkfest).

Oktoberfest

A few of my friends I was travelling with had been to Oktoberfest before, but the closest I’d ever come to it was dancing on a table in Sheffield’s Bierkeller with a stein, so I was very excited to finally experience the real deal!

The main Oktoberfest festival site is in the centre of Munich, and it’s definitely worth going to if you want the full Oktoberfest experience. With several beer halls to choose from, food stalls and fairground rides, it’s easy to spend all day there. On the weekend days, you have to arrive pretty earlier to bag yourself a table (some people spend lots of money reserving them too, but we were happy to just turn up and join someone else’s table). The festival itself shuts about 10pm each night too, so it’s definitely worth getting up early and making a day of it.

Walking into the first big beer hall was certainly a sight to behold as I hadn’t envisioned quite how many people they could fit; in total, there were around 6,000 people! Inside there are rows of benches, a Bavarian band and thousands of steins clinking together. The best part of these halls is how sociable they are, as you join other people on the benches. We met people from all over the world, and it’s the best atmosphere getting to celebrate together. The highlight of this for me is the tradition of someone having to down their stein if they stand up on the table. While they do this, everyone hurls food at them and chants. I felt like I was stood watching a medieval play or something seeing radishes fly threw the air!

Outfits are another huge part of Oktoberfest, and I was glad we’d purchased lederhosen and dirndls in advance. We bought these for quite cheap online, but many of the locals had beautiful, traditional versions which were certainly something to show off.

My favourite hall inside Oktoberfest had to be Hacker, as the beer is particularly tasty and the rowdy atmosphere was perfect for my friend’s birthday. And yes, he had to down his stein on the table!

Munich

As Saturday was looking to be the busiest day for Oktoberfest, we decided to head explore the centre of Munich for the day. The architecture in Munich is absolutely stunning, and even though a lot of attractions were closed during the festival, it was still enjoyable to explore the city. We visited the Oktoberfest Museum to find out more about the history of Munich’s breweries, before taking part in a beer tasting in the museum’s cellar of all the festival’s featured beers.

If you want to get a good view of the city, the Englischer Garten is a must. The garden itself is huge with a beautiful lake, a Chinese Tower and a viewing stand on top of the hill. We enjoyed some great street food, steins and Bavarian music in the garden’s marketplace, before heading to the surfing wave. Known as the Eisbach, this river in Munich features a man-made wave which permanently flows throughout Munich. This spot is popular all year round with surfers practising their moves, and tourists watching in awe.

While I got a great feel for the city, I’m keen to head back to Munich outside of Oktoberfest to explore the museums and other tourist attractions.

Nuremberg

As we were flying back from Nuremberg, we opted to leave Munich on the Sunday morning and head straight to Nuremberg to explore the city. We had an Airbnb apartment booked for the Sunday night, much to our relief after four nights of camping!

Nuremberg felt wonderfully calm and peaceful after the bustle of Munich and Oktoberfest. Like Munich, the architecture is beautiful, and the city looks like a traditional Bavarian town. We walked along the castle walls, enjoying the stunning views of the city and the pretty gardens near the top of the castle. As it was a Sunday and renovation work was taking place, we couldn’t go all the way to the top of the castle, but the views were still great just the same.

We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon grabbing tasty food from Nuremberg’s food market and enjoying yet more steins in some of the bars and beer halls. The permanent beer halls in Munich and Nuremberg are still great options for drinking if you’re wanting a more chilled atmosphere than that of the main Oktoberfest site.

A must-see in Nuremberg has to be the Ehekarussell fountain, which features disturbing statues depicting the poem Bitter-Sweet Married Life by Hans Sachs. It’s certainly not like anything you will have seen before!

Similarly to Munich, I would like to visit Nuremberg again to visit the numerous museums and cultural attractions it has to offer. All in all, it was fantastic to visit Germany again, although I I think I’ve had enough steins and pretzels to last me a while!

Admittedly, the island of Malta has never been at the top of my bucket list for travel destinations, and I knew next to nothing about its history, people or culture. This made it evermore exciting to visit however, as I got to travel there with little to no expectations of what to expect. Sometimes this can be a refreshing alternative to planning an itinerary or checklist of what you want to do or explore.

As it’s quite a small island, although not as small as its sister island Gozo, it’s very easy to get around Malta and visit several cities on the island. For just €2 on the bus, you can get around on a budget, whilst taking in the beautiful scenery of the harbours, coastlines and vineyards. However, these buses can get very cramped and do not always show up on time!

St Paul’s Bay / Buġibba

We stayed in St Paul’s Bay, which is a short walk away from the city centre of Buġibba, one of the most popular tourist towns on the island. I’m really happy we stayed here, as you’ve got ample choice of restaurants, bars and cafés to choose from, yet it’s a quieter area for when you want a good night’s sleep. If you’re wanting somewhere more lively, then St Julians/Paceville seems to be the most popular choice. We got the bus to Paceville for a night out on one of the nights, and although it was fun for a night of dancing, I probably wouldn’t choose to stop there!

There’s a nice coast line and rocky beach in Buġibba, which in the evening, looks very beautiful alongside the lit-up restaurants and bars along the seafront. We were told that the best beaches in Malta were in the north, a bit further up from where we were staying, and in particular, the best beaches were Paradise Bay and Golden Bay. So we opted to visit Golden Bay for the day, and I was thrilled to be back in the sea at last! With it being mid-August, the beach was very busy as you’d expect, so I imagine it would be much nicer to visit these beaches during the quieter months.

I was hesitant about finding vegan eating options in Malta, but I was pleasantly surprised to find many restaurants not only having dishes that were accidentally vegan, but actually having vegan listed on the menu. Personal favourites for me in St Paul’s Bay/Buġibba have to be The Chef’s Table, Mezzaluna Pizzeria and SALT Kitchen & Lounge.

Valletta

No trip to Malta would be complete without visiting the capital city of Valletta, where most of the historical tourist attractions are found. Upon arrival, it was clear to see why Valletta gets compared to Italy, with its stunning architecture and narrow streets.

We visited Fort Saint Elmo and the National War Museum, which is a fantastic way to learn about Maltese history, including the Order of St John and Malta’s Independence. You can walk around the fort which still has cannons and giant anchors intact.

If you really want to see some stunning architecture, St John’s Co-Cathedral is an absolute must. We ended up visiting here an hour before closing so it was very busy inside, however, it was worth it to see the beautiful baroque art and architecture inside, including paintings from acclaimed artists such as Caravaggio. I don’t think my picture below does the cathedral justice! With your entry ticket, you’re given a free audio guide which gives you very detailed information about the history behind the paintings and features.

We finished our sightseeing with a trip to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, which overlook the Grand Harbour. The garden itself is quite small, centred around a beautiful fountain, and features a café/bar and some war rooms, which we didn’t pay to visit in the end. The panoramic views from the gardens are breathtaking; you can practically see the whole of Valletta from up there. I’m surprised how quiet the garden was, and it was nice to enjoy an Aperol Spritz while taking in the views of the city.

Valletta is also a great choice for an evening out; there are plenty of restaurants to choose from and lots of bars and cafés offering happy hours. Although the city appeared to quieten down later on, there are still some great options for evening entertainment, although we didn’t stay late enough to explore these fully.

Mdina

Known as the Silent City, Mdina is a medieval walled city with many of its historical buildings and features still intact. On quieter days, I imagine it feels as though you’ve stepped completely back in time. The city is quite small, and doesn’t take long to look around, and as it’s up on a hilltop, you can enjoy lovely views from various tearooms within the city. It features a few museums, two of which we looked around; the Museum of Torture, which informs you of the many grisly forms of torture that took place throughout history, and the Cathedral Museum, which connects to St Paul’s Cathedral and displays artifacts such as coins, paintings and religious relics. Like St John’s Co-Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral features baroque architecture, but I found this cathedral to be much quieter and more pleasant to look round.

My highlight in Mdina has to be the Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum. The house looks as though it has been frozen in time, with all the rooms and artifacts displayed in their original form. The most recent owner of the Palazzo was Captain Olof Frederick Gollcher, who was a proud collector of art and antiques. The visit includes an audio guide which is very interesting and informative as you explore each room in the large house. The house has been restored and maintained very well, and I particularly liked the pretty outside courtyard pictured below.

There really is something for everyone to do in Malta, whether you’re looking for sandy beaches to lie on, or historic towns to look around, it’s an ideal location for a combined cultural and relaxation holiday. I love how the size of the island allows you to visit so many cities, and I’m definitely keen to come back and explore the even smaller island of Gozo.

I’d heard so much about Amsterdam that I felt as though I’d already been there and could already picture the bike-cladded streets winding around the canals. For years I’d been desperate to see the city for myself, so me and a few friends decided to head there for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday.

Amsterdam has an amazing transport system – car, bike, boat, tram, train or bus – you can take your pick! Even though we were staying a while out of the city centre, our weekend public transport passes were a fantastic way of getting around the city.

As we arrived quite late on the Thursday night, we grabbed some food for breakfast and a couple of beers and relaxed in our hotel apartment.

Friday

In the morning we headed off to the the museum quarter with pre-booked tickets for the Vincent Van Gogh Museum. Having studied art at school, I was really keen to see his work in person and learn a bit more about his back story. One thing to note with attractions like this and the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, is that most places require you to book tickets and a time slot in advance.

Having a time slot worked well with the Van Gogh museum and the floors feel very spacious, giving you lots of time to explore each section and read the information about each piece. I’ve been to a few big art galleries in the past, but this is the first gallery I’ve been to which focuses entirely on one artist’s work. And you can truly see why Van Gogh holds such fascination for many people. I was already familiar with his post-impressionist style of painting, but it was interesting to see the other art styles he experimented with over the years, such as pencil drawings and peasant character studies. I also particularly enjoyed the self-portrait section, as I feel as though it’s unusual for an artist, who you’d usually expect to distance themselves from the subject of study, become that study themselves.

We spent the afternoon exploring the city by foot, which I could honestly spend hours doing! The architecture is so beautiful in Amsterdam (reminding me very much of Paris at times) and there are so many cute cafés and shops to look around. We ended up venturing into one of Amsterdam’s infamous ‘coffee shops’, where you can enjoy legal marijuana. We picked one with a cat called Bowie who is pretty popular with tourists!

In the evening, we ventured out to De Pijp, a popular strip full of bars. As it struck midnight, we celebrated my birthday with some shots and sparklers before heading to a Jazz Bar called Bourbon Street Music Club. This is a fantastic venue if you want to get away from the busy, touristy bars and we joined a few locals dancing to an awesome Blues band.

Saturday

Despite being a bit hungover from the night before, we left the apartment bright and early to visit the Anne Frank House, as we’d already booked an early time slot. I knew that this visit would be tough, but I’d heard very good things about it. The museum didn’t look how I expected to from the outside, as I didn’t realise that they had built it around the original annex. The tour takes about an hour and you are provided with a free audio guide, which I found very informative and moving. There is no furniture left in the annex, but you do get a feel for the enclosed space that the Frank family shared with the van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer during their two years in hiding. At the end, you hear some accounts from Otto Frank and others survivors who had been close with Anne. It’s a sad but very moving experience, so I’d definitely recommend it. Upon recommendation of a friend, we then stopped by the pancake house outside the Anne Frank house to enjoy some traditional dutch pancakes, which were really delicious!

Then it was time to head home for a quick nap, before heading back out into the city centre. We took a little ferry from the train station to the A’DAM Lookout, a tall building with a panoramic view of the city. The cost to go up the tower is quite expensive and you do have to pay extra to go on the swing. I didn’t realise that the swing slots also book up in advance, and as there was a two-hour wait, I decided not to do it. However, the view from the tower is stunning, and we enjoyed the rooftop bar and music in the sunshine.

Me and two other friends bought a bundle ticket for the tower and a canal boat ride afterwards. However, we spent 45 minutes queuing in the heat and as it was getting on a bit in the evening, we decided to head back to the apartment instead. It was a shame to waste the money, but I think you’re better off paying for a smaller, independent boat company, rather than going for one of the big ones. The smaller boats themselves also looked much nicer to ride on when it’s sunny, as the big ones we were waiting for all had roofs on.

In the evening we headed back to De Pijp for a Mastino Pizza, which we had read rave reviews about. I had a really tasty vegan pizza with vegan-style brie! As it was a lovely day and the restaurant is quite small, we took our pizzas to a nearby park and enjoyed them with a few bottles of wine. Later on, we explored the infamous red light district. I’d heard lots of stories about it, yet I still found myself feeling surprised and disturbed. We had a few drinks in one of the bars around there, but soon decided to head out of the district! We finished the night in a really fun club called Club NYX, which had a drag queen show on. The music and atmosphere was great in this club, but don’t be put off by people dancing right next to urinals on the second floor!

Sunday

On Sunday we decided to explore the city by bicycle and make the most of the hot weather. We cycled to Vondelpark, which has beautiful lakes and fountains. In the park, we also stumbled upon a Dutch brass band called Gallowstreet. They were so much fun and really got the crowd dancing. As well as being extremely skilled with their instruments, one member even used four different seashells to play music! The atmosphere was amazing and this was easily the highlight of my trip.

We enjoyed a pleasant cycle home before getting ready to head back out for the evening. After a few drinks in the flat, we got an Uber straight to a club that sounded like it had a good night on. However, once we paid loads to get inside, we found it to be completely dead and playing terrible music. I think that’s the quickest I’ve ever gone in and out of a club! We headed back to the apartment instead to take some ‘magic’ truffles, which you can buy from various shops in Amsterdam. I think they truly rounded off the Amsterdam experience!

I was sad to leave Amsterdam on Monday morning but I definitely intend to return in the future. While it’s close enough to travel to just for a weekend, there’s so much to do there that I think you’ll end up wanting to stay longer!

Like many Arctic Monkeys fans, I’ve been eagerly awaiting a new album since album number five, AM, exploded into our lives five years ago. I remember that I had just moved into my student house, ready to start my second year of university, and we would be ecstatic every time our favourite Sheffield nightclub, Leadmill, blasted out ‘R U Mine?’ or ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ on a night out.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed seeing Arctic Monkeys perform at Leeds festival the following summer, before seeing Alex Turner back up on stage at Glastonbury in 2016 with fellow musician Miles Kane as part of their band The Last Shadow Puppets. Having first seen Arctic Monkeys at Leeds Festival all the way back in 2005 after the release of their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, I am no stranger to Alex Turner’s transformations.

And that’s why this transformation into Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino feels like no surprise at all, especially to fans who are familiar with Humbug, Last Shadow Puppet’s Everything You’ve Come To Expect and Turner’s solo EP Submarine. You only had to glimpse at the teaser artwork for Tranquility and the band promo photos to know that we were about to be invited into a new chapter in Arctic Monkeys’ lives.

While I’m not surprised that the new album has divided fans, I am always baffled when fans declare how they feel personally ‘betrayed’. Something that always frustrates me about the relationship between fans and bands is how some fans believe that music is made for them. Indeed, some musicians in the industry (with the push of their producers I’m sure), churn out music that they know will sell. But for bands like Arctic Monkeys, it’s never been about this. Bands who are passionate about their music never began writing and recording music with the intention of selling millions. Hell, the majority of them didn’t even expect to sell tickets at their local venue. For them, music is their creative outlet, it’s how they express themselves, and it’s what they truly live for. Therefore they do not owe us fans anything.

Sure Arctic Monkeys could have chosen to create a sequel to AM knowing it would satisfy their long-awaiting fans, but I’m glad they chose not to. Otherwise, I would be worried that they had lost their musical direction entirely. In his recent interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Turner admits that “The guitar had lost its ability to give me ideas. Every time I sat with a guitar I was suspicious of where it was gonna go. I had a pretty good idea of what I might be which is completely contrary to what I felt when I sat at the piano.” (NME).

I absolutely loved Alex Turner’s interview with Annie Mac. It was fascinating to hear his thought process behind Tranquility and reassuring to hear that he still has so much creative energy and passion to put into his music. After listening to the new album a few times, I’ve been able to appreciate Turner’s poetic lyrics all over again. If anything, these songs are his most sophisticated yet.

I’m happy that Arctic Monkeys are passionate enough about their music to take this new direction and I’m so excited to see them live once more in September!

Today I woke up from the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks. If you’ve ever experienced sleep problems, you’ll understand how you can enter into an endless cycle of bad sleep, which can last for weeks or even months sometimes.

It’s got me thinking again about just how important it is to look after your mental wellbeing. I focus all my time into eating healthily and going to the gym several days a week to keep in good physical shape, yet I’m terrible at remembering to focus on my mental health. When my body is desperate for a rest and a good night’s sleep, I guilt trip myself into another gym session so I hit my target number of days for the week. I’ve become so used to channeling my stress through exercise, I forget that sometimes a good rest is just what my body needs.

I recently found out that I was going to be losing my job and it was really difficult knowing I was going to have to go through the whole job hunting process again after having so many job rejections over the summer. It then came to no surprise that it took a toll on my mental health and sleep, as I was so anxious about finding work again. And with stress and a lack of sleep, of course I then ended up running myself down with a cold. After feeling ill now for just under two months, I’ve since found out from the doctors that I’ve got CMV virus, caused by a weakened immune system. So now I’m beating myself up for obsessing over staying in shape and being sociable, instead of looking after myself when I first starting to feel ill.

I’ve always gone through life choosing to saying ‘yes’ rather than ‘no’ to things, which during my school and university years was partly due to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). My dad always encouraged me to enjoy travelling, festivals and experiences, even if it meant being in my overdraft for all of university. While I’m now grateful to be out my overdraft, I’m pleased that I filled my university and graduate years with so many wonderful experiences, rather than worrying about saving money all the time.

Yet this week I’ve enjoyed saying ‘no’ to things and indulging in some guilty pleasures. I’ve had a week off the gym, binged-watched a lot of Netflix, eaten heaps of pasta, had a a fresh hair cut and colour, bookmarked a load of clothes I want to treat myself to on payday, and even booked a flight to Amsterdam for my birthday weekend. While it’s great to eat healthily and exercise regularly, sometimes indulging in a little ‘me’ time is just what the doctor ordered!

What started off as an exciting and promising 2018 soon took a turn for the worse, as we sadly lost my grandfather, Bill Todd. While we all knew grandad was no longer his young and vibrant self, nothing ever quite prepares you for another loss, no matter how old or sick an individual might be.

I’m lucky in the sense that it’s now been nearly 12 years since I last lost a family member, and while it still struck me hard, I know I’m much better equipped to handle a loss than my 11 year old self. I also take comfort in the fact that my grandad was a lucky man, having met my grandma when he was just 15, celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary and met his first great grandchild, Alexandra, just less than a year ago. And at the grand old age of 92, I think he would agree that it was a life well lived.

I was nervous to attend the funeral, after recalling painful memories from the two I attended as a child. But we all shared wonderful memories of grandad and I actually learnt a lot about his life that I did not know before. For me, it’s hard to imagine a young Bill Todd when I hold such fond memories of hiding his slippers with my sister and cousin and the feeling of his bristly beard when he kissed us on the cheek. Yet at the funeral, I heard stories about an adventurous sailor, a practical and passionate father and a liberal man and husband, who chose to look after his children so my grandma could pursue her dream of being a social worker.

I’m so grateful that I got to spend so many years with my grandad and share such special memories with him. It’s also been so wonderful hearing from other family and friends who had been so touched by him. I’d like to end this post with grandad’s favourite toast, which he used to give at every family get together:

Here’s to us, to all of us, may we never want owt, noan of us, me neither!